Charles River Laboratories International Inc.

01/10/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 13:26

A New Target for Modulating Body Weight

An amino acid linked to body weight regulation could potentially help fuel the next generation of weight-loss drugs

Obesity and obesity-related diseases received a pharmaceutical lift recently with the approval of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which mimic the natural hormone GLP-1 that plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels, appetite and digestion.

Now biochemists from Stanford University have homed in on a metabolite of taurine, an amino acid commonly found in meats, shellfish and energy drinks, that could open the door to a new class of weight-loss drugs. An enzyme responsible for breaking down the metabolite, known as N-acetyltaurine, appears to be linked to body regulation.

The Stanford team found that mice lacking this enzyme accumulated high levels of N-acetyltaurine, and when fed a high-fat diet resisted diet-induced obesity. Their findings, published last year in Nature, suggest the taurine metabolism pathway could help regulate body weight and food intake, and be a potential target for a new class of weight-loss drugs.

To learn more about this development, check out the story in The Scientist.